The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media

Brooke Gladstone, a veteran NPR media analyst, teamed with artist Josh Neufeld (with contributions from Randy and Susann Ferris-Jones) for this single-issue 2011 graphic work from W. W. Norton. The Influencing Machine distills two millennia of media history into a lively, illustrated tour, exploring how the press has shaped—and been shaped by—society from ancient Rome to the Twitter age. It matters as a uniquely accessible, non-fiction comics primer on media literacy, blending Gladstone’s sharp analysis with Neufeld’s expressive cartooning.